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I watched almost every game this year. And last. And many years before them. Been a fan since 1960. I’ve seen good and bad. This version was bad. Not because the players don’t have talent. Most do. Unfortunately some of these same players seem to not care….at all.
To those who think that the answer next year is to stick Pollock and Sheets back in the OF as starters….wrong. Pollock at this stage of his career is a decent 4 th OF. Sheets needs to retire his glove. Simply a DH.
As for Robert, he seems to have a ton of talent which he likes to keep hidden. He is deathly afraid of the wall. He has no arm for an OF.. When he does get himself into position to throw, more times than not he doesn’t hit the cutoff. He lacks hustle.. He seems to have no real desire to play. An occasional nice play doesn’t erase weeks at a time where he plays average OF. He’s a good hitter….when healthy. But…well….you know,
That brings me to Moncada. His body language, facial expressions and lack of hustle is a snapshot into his head, He’s been paid. He doesn’t need to put forth any real effort. Yes, I do like his play at 3B. But with a bat in his hands, he’s almost worthless.
Eloy is a good DH. Keep him out of the field. Don’t need him hurt.
Vaughn should be at 1B. But, even at his age, Jose is the better defense choice there but he probably shouldn’t be there full time next year. So, as some have already noted, the Sox have at least 4 DH. Not good. Somebody, or two somebodies, need to go.
Anderson will be the SS next year. Good or bad. I’m ok with it keeping in mind that he’s NOT a gold glove out there. Too many errors. WAY too many mental lapses. But if having TA at SS is the worst problem next year, it’s not a huge deal.
The pitching staff is decent. Minus Giolito. Not sure what his problem is but trotting him out every 5 days is brutal. Yes, he can strike guys out…in between multiple hits and walks. Cueto will be gone next year. Kopech is a mystery. Has …,or had….great stuff. Maybe he simply doesn’t have the stamina needed. So next year they have Cease, Lynn, and Kopech as …and I hate to use this term….reliable starters. I’d be in favor of stretching Lopez out to be a starter. Maybe Lambert as the #5? Or trade/sign a starter. But with the payroll already exceeding JR’s comfort level I don’t see a huge signing in the future.
The much ballyhooed bullpen was/is a disaster. WAY too much payroll allocated. Most of these guys should be gone. Unfortunately some of the worst will be back because of the money owed.
As for hustle…..forget about it. Other than Harrison, Engel, and Jose(limited as it is) there’s really not much. Whoever manages these guys next year needs to start there. Watching other teams….CLE, TB, MIN…among others displays clearly how little the Sox hustle. WAY too much dogging it and WAY too many mental errors on the bases. An 8-5 triple play? Really?
I don’t hate Tony. However, I think it’s time to clean house . New Manager. New GM. New coaching staff. Too much loyalty with this organization. Time to hire people who have proven they can succeed. I know…Tony has succeeded. Not discounting that. But it’s just time to start fresh and you can’t expect Tony to have a whole new coaching staff for his final year. Time to hang ‘em up Tony.
This was a brutal year. I kept hoping the team on paper would play like they could. Yes, lots of injuries. But even when healthy they just simply didn’t seem to care. In the middle of the season they were told to not hustle. Really? Watch Cleveland. Watch Tampa. Think they would agree to not run things out?
This team needs a wake up call. At this point I think the only thing that may get their attention is a totally new coaching staff. One that expects hustle and awareness. It’s easy to say “bench em” if they are dogging it but we all know that it’s not that easy. They need a leader who sets the bar high. This starts with Hahn. He’s had long enough to get another winner. I’m sympathetic that Tony was stuffed down his throat but that’s no excuse. His time has passed too.
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